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30 Sep 2017

I Had Only N20,000 In My Account Before I Became President In 1999 - Obasanjo

Former Nigerian president, Olusegun Obasanjo, during an interview he had recently with Yahoo News, revealed that he had only N20,000 with him before he entered office as president.

See an excerpt from the interview

As one might expect of a man who has published 2.2kg worth of autobiography – not including previous memoirs My Command and Not My Will – Obasanjo is highly sensitive when questions over his legacy are raised.

“Come off it. I had the largest poultry farm before I became president, the largest in Africa. The fact I have N20,000 in my account does not mean I’m not wealthy,” he snaps, referring to questions over how he came to be a multi-millionaire despite having just a few dollars when he entered office. “Do you understand that?”

When talking about abstract policy, Obasanjo tried to stay in ponderous elder statesman mode, but the moment his own reputation is under scrutiny, he switches to street-fighter mode. He turns to attack and starts pre-emptively answering questions I haven’t even asked.